FINALS Flashcards
(225 cards)
A change in the statistical
distribution of weather
patterns when that change lasts for an extended period of time.
Climate Change
If the blooms appear
early, the blooms could already be gone by the time pollinators appear, creating what scientists call?
ecological
mismatch
Earth’s temperature has risen
by an average of ____
per decade since 1880
0.14° Fahrenheit (0.08° Celsius)V
The rate of
warming since 1981 is more
than twice as fast:
0.32° F
(0.18° C) per decade.
Air temperatures on Earth have been rising since the
Industrial Revolution.
refers to the variation in climate parameters caused by nonhuman forces.
natural variability
A persistent period of unusually hot days is referred to as
extreme heat event or a heat wave
occurs when there is high pressure in the atmosphere that forces hot air downward and traps it near the ground. This high-pressure system acts like a lock that prevents the hot air from rising. Consequently, rain cannot form and the hot air gets hotter.
heat wave
a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period of time, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2)
Water acidification; Ocean acidification or osteoporosis of the sea
Refers to the increase in the average
temperature of the Earth’s near-surface
air and oceans in recent decades and its
projected continuation.
GLOBAL WARMING
Refers to recent warming and implies a
human influence
GLOBAL WARMING
can cause
instability in the mountains or hills
and cause landslides. These often
trigger earthquakes too
Mining
drives deforestation, biodiversity
loss and climate change. It can
deprive forest communities of
livelihoods, and the natural
resources they rely on, and lead to
human rights violations, unrest
and violence
Illegal logging
When fossil fuels are burned, they
release large amounts of
CO2
____ trap heat in
our atmosphere, causing global
warming.
Greenhouse gases
a purposeful clearing or thinning of
trees and forests.
Deforestation
When
___ occurs, much of the
carbon stored by trees released
back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change.
Deforestation
Burning gasoline and diesel fuel creates harmful byproducts like
nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, benzene, and formaldehyde.
vehicles emit _____, the most common human-caused greenhouse gas
carbon dioxide
Solid waste contributes directly to greenhouse gas emissions through the generation of ____ from the anaerobic decay of waste in landfills
methane
the emission of __ from our solid waste combustion facilities.
nitrous oxide
Small amounts of heat trapping gases such as ____ play a key role in determining the Earth’s average temperature and thus its climates
water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone (O3), methane (CH4), and chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs)
water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone (O3), methane (CH4), and chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) are known as
greenhouse gases
They allow light, infrared radiation, and some ultraviolet radiation from the sun to pass through the troposphere.
greenhouse gases